People and pets are now living longer than ever before. Cat owners naturally want their cats to live the longest, healthiest life possible. Cats, like people, have specific nutritional needs. As the cat gets older, the aging process takes it toll. The cat tends to slow down mentally and physically.
Although the aging process is different for every animal it generally begins at maturity, somewhere between ten and twelve months of age. Cats are considered seniors at age seven and geriatrics at age 12. Shorter lived breeds like Persians become seniors at age 6.
To determine whether or not a cat is old, it's important to distinguish between chronological and biological age. Chronological age is merely the number of years a cat has lived while biological age is determined by how the cat looks, acts and feels. From an anti-aging standpoint the cats biological age is more important that its chronological age. Longevity is attributed 70% to lifestyle and 30% to genetics. Up to 90% of diseases in cats are due to the degenerative process associated with aging.
Balanced diets are essential, but alone they cannot provide a cat with optimal levels of nutrients his or her body needs. In fact, just to obtain adequate levels of vitamin E the cat would have to consume 2500 calories a day. Consuming this many calories is detrimental to the cats health and could quickly lead to obesity and several other health-related problems. Also, taking vitamins once a day may not be sufficient to provide anti-aging benefits for the cat. Many vitamins are water-soluble and are diluted and secreted from the body fairly quickly.